After the Storm
by Silverowl61
Summary: Living a full life as a half-blood is almost unheard of. After the Gaea/Giant war, Percy and Annabeth realize that they can finally have a future. Set at the edge before the war ends, and the years to follow, see how two of the worlds' most favorite half-bloods end up living their lives in an (almost!) normal way. I'm rating this T because I don't have a full plan yet!


1: Failed Efforts

The earth around the tallest hill in Athens was alive. A giant woman made of dirt, trees, and gods know what else was standing triumphantly in the shadow of the Acropolis. It was Gaea, the patron mother to Earth, and now the Armageddon force that would destroy it.

"I kept my promise, young heroes." The earthen woman said, snickering in delight.

"I said I wouldn't harm you until I had awakened, but I am now!" She gushed, a gut-wrenching sneer carved into her dark brown face.

"I'll start with the two eldest," she said pointing at Percy and Annabeth, who were sitting in a fire-pit big enough for a giant to sit in. "What is it you humans say, age before beauty? Which reminds me," she said, turning to the rest of the group. "Piper McLean, you're next." Piper nearly fainted on the marble steps of the Acropolis. Jason and Leo had to intercept her fall to keep her from cracking her skull on Greece's largest temple.

"Jason Grace and Frank Zhang, you both have fought bravely, Rome would be proud of you both." Gaea said, almost complimenting them on their efforts, like an elementary school teacher commending a duo of kindergartener.

They both gave each other a kind of 'hey, we aren't gonna die today!' kind of smile, but they wouldn't be exhilarating for long.

"But," Gaea continued. " Your efforts failed. I'm going to kill both of you. I don't need any more preposterous heroes running around, thinking they rule the world. In the end, it just comes down to me."

They both turned sickly shades of green and grey.

" Nico di Angelo," Gaea thundered, causing the small teenager to shiver.

" I honestly don't even know why you are here. You aren't in any part of the prophecy, and you aren't as annoying as these three," she said, pointing towards Jason, Leo, and Piper. "So, why are you here?" Nico's face turned an unimaginable shade of pumice. He must have realized what she was trying to ask, and he had just caught up with what she had said.

"Listen, Gaea!" He yelled, causing her to turn around in surprise. "I know you know why I am here, for Percy, but there are other reasons too." Her weedy eyebrows lifted.

"Oh?" She questioned, making it impossible to detect fake curiosity.

"Yes. I am here because I don't want to always be alone anymore. I want to fight with other _living _people, and have some fun doing it. You've been part of making my life a living Tartarus, and as a son of Hades I should know." He paused, trying to catch up with his muddled thoughts.

"I want to see you destroyed. I want to see you set on fire or electrocuted and die, leaving me and my friends alone. I hate you. I have always hated you. You killed my sister when you were first rising, and I'll never forgive you. Bianca once said holding grudges is a child of Hades' fatal flaw. But, you know what Gaea?" He asked, screaming the entire time. "I will hold this grudge until you are dead. Stone-cold, rock-bottom dead."

Everyone looked astonished, including Gaea. She looked as if Nico had slapped her in the face. He looked back at his friends. Piper had a look of utter shock on her face, as if she couldn't believe what he'd just said. Jason looked almost proud of him. He tried to mouth something to him, but Nico waved his hand as to say 'never mind.' Frank and Hazel were smiling, as they knew him best, excluding Percy. Hazel cupped her hands to her mouth, and triumphantly screamed out,

"GO NICO!"

Gaea turned around, this time her face was livid.

"Nico di Angelo, I was actually considering sparing your life. You have shown great potential in being a great warrior. Now, though ," she paused, trying to make the scene more dramatic. "You are going to die alongside everyone else."

"What?" Hazel screamed, her face was ashen. She had promised the ghost of Bianca earlier that she wouldn't let Nico die.

"Ah, Hazel Levesque." Gaea sighed, looking almost sad. "I've known you since you were born. You helped me reunite with my son, and for that I am eternally grateful. " her tone held notes of genuine emotion, though it was hard to tell with a large woman made of dirt and grass. "I will help you regain what you lost. I will bring back your mother, and you both can go back to New Orléans. You can live in the finest house in the French Quarter, and be the richest girl on the planet. All you'd have to do is keep providing me those precious stones you seem to have a knack for finding." Gaea cooed. Hazel's face clouded with emotions. Happy, hopeful, sad, angry.

"No." She spoke at last, grasping Frank's hand and trying not to cry.

"No?" Gaea asked mockingly. "Alright then, my, my, what would your mother say? Oh well, you can die next to your boyfriend."

Hazel gasped and turned to Frank, who gathered her in his arms as wet sobs consumed her. Gaea turned to the last member of the group.

"Leo Valdez." She announced. Leo looked up from filing his greased nails.

"Oh, hi Gaea." He said, not bothering to look up. "You finally got to me. Well, what kind of horrible death do you have in store for me?" He asked, radiating a sense of false cheeriness.

"You," she said, trying not to release her anger. "You have been the worst out of these heroes. Jackson comes in a close second," she said, jerking her earthen head in Percy's direction, causing five feet long strips of grass fall from her scalp.

"What I have in store for you is the worst punishment I think any hero has ever received." She said, her voice, once hushed and lulling, now poisonous and fiery.

"Ooh, what is it? An all-expenses paid trip for two to the Underworld?" Leo exclaimed." I hear it's very nice, Nico even came back with a reverse tan! I mean, how cool is that? Pale skin is in, my friend."

By the time Leo had gone into full detail about how beneficial pale skin was, Gaea was fuming.

"Enough!" She screamed, causing all the pigeons that were on the Acropolis (which gave Leo a moment to question 'Why are there pigeons here?') to fly away.

"Leo Valdez, I am going to spare your life, and make you kill your friends." Gaea roared, taking in all the shocked faces of the half-bloods. "No hero has ever done it, which would make you the first half-blood traitor of this war!" She said.

"And now, you are all going to witness the death of western civilization."

* * *

Percy was sitting in an unlit bonfire. His palms were sweaty, and they had been tied to a large piece of firewood. He glanced to his left, struggling to keep his head there.

"It's going to end up okay, Annabeth. I swear on the River-" He started to talk to his girlfriend, but she interrupted him.

"No, no it is not! I, I can't believe that I- well, we, failed! All the preparation, all the time spent looking for you, all the time down in Tartarus has been wasted. Percy, we failed. We will never have a future. I will never get to rebuild Olympus, we will never get another date," Her voice got soft.

"I'll- I'll never get to tell you how much I love you, because we," her voice heated up. "We've been tricked by a stupid mound of dirt who just had to come and-" She never finished. Percy had pulled at the ropes, making them at bit looser, allowing him to lean closer and kiss her. Suddenly, Percy's lips were on Annabeth's, and she forgot everything, just thinking how it was just them. It seemed to blow all the troubles that were going on at the moment far away, and she couldn't be happier. She wanted to reach up and muss up his hair and hold on to his broad shoulders, but when she tried she experienced the pain of the thick, scratched ropes binding her hands to firewood.

"Stupid ropes," She muttered, causing Percy to break away from their moment and crack one of his heart-melting smiles.

"Yeah, they are, but at least I can still kiss you." He said grinning. She couldn't help but smile back. Even in the worst situations he could make her smile, even on Doomsday she could laugh at a pun or a knock-knock joke he told her.

'I guess that's what love does to a person.' She thought, wanting to break free of the tight bonds and hug him until he couldn't breathe. She wanted him to swoop her up into his arms and carry her into the sunset, like an old Audrey Hepburn movie. She knew that could never happen, but she could still dream.

"Hey, what's this about not being able to tell me how much you love me?" He said, raising his eyebrows. Annabeth felt her cheeks get consistently warmer, and ducked her head so he wouldn't have to see. She could feel his deep emerald eyes on her, so she looked up bashfully.

"What?" She asked, her cheeks still a bright, windswept pink. He laughed.

"Nothing." He replied, "Absolutely nothing." Annabeth felt her shoulders relax, which was weird, because she hadn't even realized that they had tensed.

"Annabeth?"

"Mhm?"

"Did you really think I didn't know how much you loved me?" He asked.

"Well, I dunno." She looked at his puzzled expression. " I mean, I can't exactly kiss you in the way I want to now, and-"

"Wait, what kind of way?" Percy asked, making his thick eyebrows wave up and down on his tan forehead.

"Like, I want to wrap my arms around your neck, and I want you to hug me and kiss me and never let me go." She said, a tear slipping down her cheek.

'Why am I crying?' She asked herself. She couldn't even wipe it quickly, because her hands were bound behind her back. Percy leaned in again and started to kiss her again, this time more heated and passionate. Once they finally broke apart, he grazed his full lips over her ear and whispered,

"I will never let you go, Annabeth Chase. Never in a million lifetimes." Annabeth started to cry harder, because for all she knew, they might not have one million seconds left to live.


End file.
